Amelia Island Museum of History, County history museum in Fernandina Beach, United States.
The Amelia Island Museum of History is housed in a former Nassau County jail building and displays exhibits spanning 4000 years of Florida history. The collection includes artifacts and photographs documenting different periods and cultures that left their mark on the region.
The museum was founded in 1975 by the Duncan Lamont Clinch Historical Society and opened in 1979 inside the former jail building. The project grew from efforts to preserve and share the long and complex past of the island community.
The museum highlights the roles of Native American groups, European settlers, and wealthy families who shaped island life and society. Visitors can see objects and photographs showing how these communities lived and influenced the development of the area.
Docent-led tours run Monday to Saturday at 11am and 2pm, and Sunday at 2pm, included with a ticket. The research library on the second floor opens Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 4pm, or by appointment with the museum's archivist.
The building served as the Nassau County jail until a new jail opened in 1979; the county then leased the old structure to the museum for 99 years at $1 per year. Volunteers repaired the dilapidated space themselves before it opened. It joined the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 2009.
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